Education may be the most important activity we do as a community - and it can also be the most difficult space to build a startup in. It is well known that selling to school districts and universities is difficult, but luring consumers is even more difficult. 

Learning requires focus, patience, persistence, and resources, and most consumers prefer watching some lip-sync videos on TikTok rather than staring at math equations (not to mention, this entertainment is free). Participation and education appear to be opposite sides, limiting the way startups can expand and succeed.

However, the aversion that capitalist investors traditionally had towards space has slowly dissipated over the past ten years. Educational technology startups and consumers are increasingly attracting funding, and there is a growing group of educational technology investors who are betting on the future here. 

What has changed is not the market or its potential, but rather the perception that ambitious and sustainable companies can really be built in the field of education.

One company that has led the transformation of these perceptions is Pittsburgh-based Duolingo. It is a blazing language learning application. 

From humble origins a decade ago as a translation platform for news agencies, it is now used by 500 million people worldwide to learn Spanish, English, French, and more, all while making reservations worth $ 190 million in 2020. It's overwhelming but hard-won. Selves after years of product and revenue trials to find its current position.

TechCrunch writer and analyst for this EC-1 is Natasha Mascarenhas. Mascarenas has been covering education technology since the first day she joined TechCrunch as a writer for venture capital and startups and has built a reputation as a brave historian of this increasingly dynamic ecosystem. The lead editor for this package was Danny Crichton, copy editor Richard D. Porto, and the illustrations were created by Nigel Sussman.

Duolingo had no opinion on the content of this analysis and had not been able to access it in advance. Mascarenas has no financial ties to Duolingo or any other conflicts of interest that should be disclosed.

Duolingo EC-1 includes four main articles totaling 12,200 words and a read duration of 48 minutes. Here's what's in store:

Part 1: Origin story “How the Anti-Robotics Test Turned into the Most Iconic Brand in Education Technology, Duolingo” (3300 words / 13 minutes) - takes a look at how Guatemalan immigrant businessman Louis von Ahn switched from fighting robot attacks on record screens The entry in Zigzag Building is one of the great success stories of educational technology.

Part 2: Product-led Growth Strategy “Product-led growth behind the most downloaded application in educational technology” (3,000 words / 12 minutes) - analyzes the tactics and trade-offs that an education technology company has to evaluate as it grows from thousands to 500 million enrolled learners.

Part 3: Monetization “How Duolingo Became Monetizing Fluent” (2,800 words / 11 minutes) - examines how Duolingo experimented with a variety of different business models to match his unique community, and why he ultimately chose to sign up.

Part 4: New Initiatives and Future Prospects “Duolingo can't teach you how to speak a language, but now wants to experiment” (3100 words / 12 minutes) - explores how Duolingo launches new business lines, its chances of success, and how the company is trying to expand its flagship product from Mastery of basic language to mastery while adding speaking skills to the mix.

Finally, note that Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn are coming to Disrupt, so make sure to get your tickets because the conversation will continue there.